Can we be honest? There are conflicts of interest throughout sports and sports media. The NFL owns 10% of ESPN. Networks have multiple media rights deals with several leagues. Sports radio stations operate the same way. Some stations are even owned by the teams themselves. Rarely, if ever, is anything truly objective anymore because that’s the nature of the industry today, and it’s likely never turn back.
COVID forever changed how the media gains access to teams, players and executives. Teams control the messaging more than ever before. That reality was never more evident than the news involving San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan earlier this week. Eleven days after a car accident left the NFL head coach with multiple injuries, the public finally learned about it.
The immediate outcry was deafening. People searched timelines for timestamps on tweets. Was there a cover-up led by the San Francisco 49ers? The NFL? Were local reporters asleep at the wheel? Why did Adam Schefter have a fully written story just minutes after the 49ers announced the incident?
Can we be honest again? Are you really stunned?
National & Local
Chris Simms does a fantastic job as an analyst on ProFootballTalk alongside Mike Florio. On Monday, he admitted he learned about Shanahan’s accident within hours of it happening. Yet, he also said he was stunned it took so long for the story to become public. Simms credited the goodwill Shanahan built with members of the media and throughout the San Francisco area as the reason it remained quiet for so long.
Doesn’t Chris Simms work alongside one of the top insiders in NFL media? His longtime friendship with Shanahan illustrates how difficult it can be to separate personal relationships from journalistic responsibility.
San Francisco 49ers columnist Tim Kawakami said he also knew some information before the team’s announcement. However, he clarified he only knew “15%” of the details, so he decided not to report it before the team made its announcement.
Then, during an appearance on the 49ers Plus-Minus podcast, Kawakami said he didn’t believe a personal matter involving the coach was worth pursuing to the same extent as a trade or firing.
Kawakami is one of the best reporters covering the San Francisco 49ers anywhere in the country. Yet, his reasoning was that it involved a personal matter, so he chose not to dig deeper. Would it be fair to say that a car accident, while personal, could affect a team entering training camp? Or is a serious crash involving the head coach of an NFL franchise somehow not considered news?
The “Insider”
Then there’s ESPN’s Adam Schefter and the network’s entire NFL insider roster. The job description is simple: Be the source for breaking NFL news. Whether it’s a trade, firing, arrest or car accident, the expectation is to deliver important information to the outlet paying millions of dollars to serve NFL fans around the world.
Now, I don’t expect every member of ESPN’s team to know every detail about every player, coach and executive in every NFL market. However, nationally, they’re built to be more connected and more prepared than any local beat reporter could ever hope to be.
There was considerable criticism surrounding the timing of Schefter’s report. One minute after the 49ers released their official statement, ESPN.com published a complete story that included details, the location, statements from local officials and more.
After days of criticism and allegations that he had been “sitting” on the story, Schefter addressed the timing of the report.
“It’s the quietest time of the NFL year. The 49ers did a great job at keeping things quiet,” said Schefter. “It’s a sensitive situation. It’s not like a transaction or a signing. Where there’s a signing. There are certain things that are a little bit sensitive. People are a little bit private about certain things, and different stories move at different rhythms and paces. That that was probably the quietest week in the NFL calendar.”
Adam Schefter reportedly earns more than $9 million annually from ESPN, and he referenced the week of the accident being “quiet” not once, but twice. Credit ESPN Radio’s Evan Cohen for asking the question that needed to be asked. But is that the answer ESPN executives, who sign Schefter’s checks, want to hear?
Fuel For The Fire
The NFL proudly promotes itself as a 365-day-a-year business. News happens during the season, before the season and well after the Super Bowl concludes. Suggesting the league’s top insider didn’t have the biggest NFL story entering training camp because it was a “quiet” week simply doesn’t hold up.
That explanation only adds fuel to a growing concern that ESPN could be perceived as compromised because the NFL owns 10% of the company.
To ESPN’s credit, network executives have addressed those concerns since the NFL acquired its ownership stake.
ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro told Richard Deitsch the network’s approach to covering the league will not change because of the investment. ESPN’s head of content Burke Magnus echoed that sentiment on The Varsity podcast. Outgoing ESPN Executive Vice President and Executive Editor of Sports News and Entertainment David Roberts told me the same earlier this month.
“The commitment to journalism at ESPN is as strong as it’s ever been. The NFL Network is now part of the fabric of what we are here at ESPN. That will not change [our approach at ESPN]. I can assure you of that,” said Roberts.
Credibility Matters
The Kyle Shanahan accident presented a perfect opportunity to demonstrate that commitment. Instead, ESPN missed the moment. So did local reporters. So did national insiders and analysts. If an NFL head coach suffering serious injuries in a car accident doesn’t qualify as one of the biggest stories in football, then what does?
This isn’t about demanding reporters ignore compassion or publish every private detail the moment they hear it. Journalism requires judgment, and every story deserves context. But when nearly every influential voice with knowledge of a story chooses to wait—whether because of relationships, access, loyalty or business interests—it’s fair for fans to ask who the media is really serving.
Sports journalism has never been free of conflicts of interest, and it probably never will be. The industry depends on partnerships, access and relationships. Those realities make transparency and accountability more important than ever.
The Kyle Shanahan story wasn’t simply about a delayed news report. It was a reminder that credibility isn’t measured when covering the easy stories. It’s measured when delivering important news risks upsetting the very people who help provide it.
If the people with the best access aren’t willing to report one of the biggest stories in the NFL until the team decides it’s time, then they’re no longer setting the news agenda.
They’re following it.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.